This invention relates to the teaching of the reading of music and, in particular, to such teaching using well-known card games.
Music tones are conventionally represented by indicia called notes. Each tone has one or more notes which correspond to the tone. Moreover, the length of time that a tone is played is referred to as a note value. These note values are, typically, categorized as whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, etc.
Various tools have been used to teach children and adults how to recognize different tones via their corresponding notes depicted on a staff for different note values, and provide a source of educational entertainment. These tools are used to stimulate the student, since teaching the skill of reading notes can be extremely tedious and boring, particularly for children.
Game formats have been developed for this purpose. Some of these game formats have been based on conventional playing cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 702,298 discloses one type of playing card game format with the intention of teaching the reading of music and learning of diatonic scales and chords. This game format utilizes fifty-two playing cards, music-notes and four different suits corresponding, respectively, to eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes. These playing cards, moreover, in one deck use notes of parts of the chromatic scale from E to C or c to a1.
Each card of the '298 patent is somewhat complicated, since it includes three notes corresponding to three different tones. An enlarged central depiction of a note represents the card tone, while smaller depictions preceding and succeeding the central note represent the tones preceding and succeeding the card tone in the chromatic scale. For example, a card of the deck representing the tone symbolized by the note D includes an enlarged depiction of the note D, which is preceded and followed, respectively, by smaller depictions of notes representing the preceding and following tones, i.e., the note D flat and the note D sharp. As a result of having notes corresponding to more than one tone on each card, notes are duplicated from card to card.
The card deck of the '298 patent also uses different colors for each of the four suits or different note values. Moreover, the patent discloses certain card games which can be played with the cards, as well as states that the cards can be used to play almost all the games played with ordinary playing cards.
Due to the cards of the '298 patent using three notes corresponding to three different tones on a card, the cards are difficult to understand and this detracts from their usefulness, especially when trying to teach children.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a card set for teaching the reading of music which is simple to use.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a card set for teaching the reading of music which is comprehensive in teaching musical notes.